


Look Good On Me Like RoseGold

by MiniRed, Phillipa19



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 19 year old Louis, 29 year old Liam, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bottom Louis, Excuse You! Im innocent, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Model Zayn, Power Play, Rich Liam, Size Kink, Smut, Sugar Baby Louis, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Daddy Liam, This was all Phillipa, Top Liam, University Student Louis, background zarry, but NO daddy kink, but its vague, millionaire Liam, more tags will be added as this goes along, oh dear god I blame Carlee completely, slight size kink, studemt louis, well kinda anyway maybe theres a little daddy kink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-02-14 22:21:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13017351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniRed/pseuds/MiniRed, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phillipa19/pseuds/Phillipa19
Summary: "I think, that you like that I'm younger than you. I think you like that I'm smaller and younger and you can do whatever you want with me," Louis purred, leaning down so that his mouth almost touched Liam's. With his hand on Liam's chest he could feel his strong and steady heart race a little with Louis' teasing."That so?" Liam murmured, head resting back against the couch cushion, those ridiculously full lips smirking at him a tempting sight that Louis had to resist whilst he played this game."I think you like that I come into your neat little routine life and mess it up as much as I can . . . I think you like to have me underneath you, how small I am compared to you, and watch just how pretty I look as I take your cock," Louis practically whispered, running his hands slowly over the muscles of Liam's stretched arms, and smiling so wide his cheeks ached from the strain.***Uni Louis and Older Rich Liam basically.





	1. Princess

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is mine and Carlee's (Miniiredd on tumblr) love child that we've been cooking up for months and months so I decided to finally start writing the damn thing before our google docs notes full of ideas get any larger.
> 
> This entire thing is going to be smutty and self indulgent and I'm not even sorry lmao.
> 
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Um Hi? Carlee (Miniiredd) here, actually this is all phillipa, so please shower her with all your love and praise, without her this fic for sure wouldn't be posted, hell probably wouldn't even be a thing since i have no writing ability, which makes the fact phillipa put me as a "co-creator" even more bananas (insert hollaback girl)

Maybe if he'd have known going to the club with Zayn that night would change his life so much he would have, I don't know, worn something different or put more effort into his hair. Either way, when he agreed to come to the low-level celebrity get together he ended up having a migraine and pretty much putting zero effort into his appearance. 

 

Zayn had managed to work his way up through the modelling pool and a recent shoot with Calvin Klein had gotten him quite a bit of attention. As Louis' best friend he was obligated to go with him and make sure Zayn didn't spend the entire party in the toilets hiding from social interactions. His best friend may be beautiful enough to amass a crowd but Zayn rarely had the confidence nor the desire to interact with said crowd. 

 

Plus, Louis was bored of doing the reading for his seminar and needed a change of scenery. So, despite his migraine, he pulled on some skinny jeans and a baggy white tshirt and ran his fingers through his hair. Zayn looked perfectly put together, as per usual, when he banged on Louis' bedroom door. 

 

They shared student housing much to the disquiet of their housing manager. For some reason the man was afraid he and Zayn would burn the place to the ground or something. Louis swears that the last fire was a complete accident and he's sticking by that story. They took a taxi to the club named on the shiny little invitation that had been posted to Zayn a few weeks ago, and Louis felt a little thrill go through him when they were smugly allowed to skip the queue and head straight inside as soon as the bouncer recognised Zayn's face. 

 

It felt so strange that his Zayn, the one with paint splattered clothes who always managed to muck up a customers order at the coffee shop, was also the one who modelled for Calvin Klein and got invited to parties like this. 

 

The thing is, Zayn's parents had had rules regarding Zayn beginning to model. Zayn had been scouted last year when they'd just started their second year of uni. His parents had refused to let him take part in it unless he did well in his courses and kept his job as a barista at a local cafe. They said that they refused to let the modelling 'ruin him'. They wanted him to have a normal university experience despite the relative fame he had accumulated. To be honest none of them had actually expected just how quickly Zayn had gotten attention.

 

Either way, Louis enjoyed the perks that came with it. Like, the girl at the cinema recognising him and giving them free tickets. Or getting invited to celebrity parties that he should have never been invited to. 

 

He pretty much spent the first few minutes pointing out people to Zayn and saying "isn't she from Emmerdale? Or is it Corrie? I can never remember. Oooh maybe it's Eastenders!"

 

Zayn pretty much stood there awkwardly as various celebrities made their way over to him to congratulate him on his contract with Calvin Klein. Zayn blushing and mumbling out replies in his typical sullen way. No, attention would never be Zayn's forte. But despite his migraine, Louis found he was actually enjoying himself. Maybe it was being surrounded by all the pretty people and fancy clothes but he found himself smiling and looking around with awe. If only it were in his own future to one day be amongst this. But no, sadly he was destined for a life of mediocrity. He wasn't exactly doing great in his courses and neither did he care to try overly much. His mum had always joked that Louis was like a magpie; he liked shiny things and lacked any real kind of concentration. He flitted from one thing to another, never being truly interested nor satisfied with his current obsession. He just needed something to . . . Anchor him. Something with enough of an intrigue that it kept him rapt. It was also why he was still single despite multiple attempts at relationships. People often failed to keep his interest. Zayn was probably the only constant in his life. 

 

When Zayn suddenly stiffened beside him Louis looked over at him, confused. Zayn's eyes were wide and Louis followed his gaze to a group of men. 

 

"What are you staring at?" Louis griped, going into his tiptoes to see more but still too short to get a real look. 

 

"Over there is one of the senior managers at Vogue magazine . . . Louis if I got photographed for Vogue fucking magazine I'd never have to audition for a shoot again," Zayn said breathlessly and Louis kept trying to see who he meant. 

 

"Which is he? I can't fucking see! Why is this place so crowded," Louis muttered. 

 

"The one in the black shirt. He's stood next to Liam Payne," Zayn said trying to surreptitiously point him out. 

 

"Who the fuck is Liam Payne. It'd help if you used a celebrity I knew as a point of orientation," Louis groaned, exasperated and Zayn gave him a disapproving look. 

 

"The one who owns Payne Records? He guest judges on X Factor with Simon Cowell? Owns fucking everything? Has a hotel chain? How the fuck do you not know who Liam Payne is?!" Zayn exclaimed. Louis rolled his eyes. 

 

"Unlike you I don't spend every day glued to either the telly or my laptop. I actually go outside," Louis said slowly with over exaggeration. Zayn whacked him in the arm and Louis laughed loudly. As Louis laughed he looked up and caught the gaze of a man stood next to who Louis thought was the Vogue manger person Zayn was so impressed by. His face did look a little familiar, maybe he was the Liam Payne Zayn was on about? 

 

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Is Liam Payne staring at you?" Zayn muttered, eyes wide, as Louis stared back into a pair of pretty brown eyes. The man, apparently Liam Payne, was ridiculously hot. Louis thought he'd probably seen him on telly at some point because his stubbled jaw and full lips seemed a little familiar. 

 

"He's kinda hot," Louis murmured distractedly, running his eyes over the man's tall, muscled body. He wore a suit that was very clearly tailored to lovingly cling to his bulky frame. Louis wondered what he looked like below the suit. 

 

He gave himself a mental slap across the face. He needed to get a hold of himself. He'd promised himself no more one night stands, especially with guys who spelled trouble as clearly as Liam Payne did right then. There was nothing soft or gentle looking about the man. That was a man who'd take nothing less than full submission from Louis and he'd be damned if he gave his all to another guy who'd make him regret it in the end. No matter how bad Louis wanted to get underneath him. 

 

"Louis, you know how you're my best friend, yeah?" Zayn said in a calculating tone that had Louis narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 

 

"What do you want now?" Louis bit out between gritted teeth. He was already pissed; that gleam in Zayn's eyes never meant anything good for him. 

 

"Go over and get Liam Payne to flirt with you," Zayn rushed out in one breath, his eyes hopeful. 

 

"No. Fucking. Way." Louis said slowly, over enunciating every word in a hope that it'll get through the layers of Zayn's hairspray and sink into his brain. But the pleading look in his hazel eyes crushed any hopes of that happening. 

 

"Please! Come on. You flirt with him and I have an excuse to bump into Vogue. It's Vogue, Louis. That could be the biggest thing to happen for my career," Zayn begged and damn, Louis couldn't say no when he looked so desperate. Zayn often hid behind a mask of indifference and boredom and it said a lot that his passion was written across his face the way it was. 

 

"Fine. But you owe me big time. I'm probably about to get rejected in the worst way," Louis moaned, looking over at Liam Payne once again but feeling decidedly more nervous this time. The man kept talking to the Vogue guy, but he continued to glance over at Louis every few words as if reassuring himself that he was still there for some unknown reason. The man was . . . Intimidating. He’s tall and muscled like he works out a lot, and he’s definitely a few years older than Louis, even if he wears those years damn well.

 

"Come on, you're hot. Say it, say I'm hot and I can pull Liam Payne," Zayn laughed, but his eyes were serious and promised pain so Louis sighed. 

 

"I'm hot and I can pull Liam Payne," Louis recited in a monotonous voice that had Zayn laughing which Louis was grateful for because it got rid of some of the nerves that had been tightening the skin around Zayn's eyes. 

 

Louis took a deep breath before walking over to a passing waiter and stealing two glasses of champagne from his tray. He downed one and placed the glass on a nearby table before sipping the other as he made his way over to where Liam Payne stood in all his masculine glory. There was something very David Gandy-esque in the way he stood there all tall and burly in his fancy suit. Louis couldn't help but be a little nervous as he made his way closer. 

 

As he came to a few steps away from the ridiculously attractive man he didn't have to say a word. Liam Payne turned in one graceful motion and his eyes stroked over Louis' body in a heated caress that had Louis sucking in a deep breath. Now Louis was closer he could see the little details he'd missed. Like the fact that Liam Payne was clearly about a decade older than Louis, his skin tanned and laughter lines just starting to make an appearance near his eyes. His lashes were long and thick and framed eyes of a beautifully deep brown. His lips were lush and full and softened the harsh edge of his bearded jaw. That beard happened to be perfectly styled and trimmed, as did his glossy brown hair. 

 

Louis took a sip of his champagne for courage, looking up at the taller man from under his lashes, before cocking his head to the side and lowering his glass. 

 

"Hi," Louis murmured, building up a false sense of confidence and smiling flirtily up at the man who managed to make him feel tiny in comparison. 

 

"Hi," Liam Payne replied with an ever-widening smirk, those full lips parting over perfect white teeth. Louis tried not to think about those lips against his neck. 

 

"I'm Louis. I'm also wondering why you were staring at me so much," Louis said playfully and the older man huffed out a laugh. 

 

"I like looking at pretty things," Liam Payne replied with a cheeky smirk and a playful glint in his eyes. Fuck. Why couldn't he have been a shit flirt? 

 

"Well. I'll take the weird staring as a compliment then," Louis replied with a bold grin. Liam Payne laughed and so did the man from Vogue beside him. That was when Zayn wandered close by and Louis reached over to touch his arm. 

 

"Oh! Zayn, meet the man who has been staring at me all night," Louis said with a mischievous grin that had Liam Payne chuckling once more. He reached out a hand to shake Zayn's. 

 

"I'm Liam Payne, nice to meet you," He said as he gave Zayn a friendly smile that held none of the heat that it had had when he'd been staring at Louis. And wasn't that an ego boost? It wasn't often that Louis held anyone's attention when stood beside Zayn. 

 

"I'm Zayn Malik, and that's Louis Tomlinson because he probably didn't have the manners to introduce himself to you," Zayn replied with a grin. Louis felt proud of the way Zayn could put on a show of easy confidence, he knew how much Zayn hated all of this mingling and socialising. It just wasn't in him. 

 

"Well, it's nice to meet you Mr Malik," Liam Payne replied with what seemed to be a thread of honesty, "and this is Francis, an old friend of mine," Liam continued, gesturing to the man beside him. 

 

Zayn turned to shake the man's hand, smiling coolly, "I've heard of your work with Vogue. It's an honour to meet you."

 

"I thought I'd seen your face before. You're the new face of Calvin Klein, correct?" Francis asked with a friendly smile. 

 

Zayn and Francis shuffled away a little to continue their conversation and Louis felt satisfaction at a job well done. That was when he realised that Liam Payne was still staring at him. 

 

"Yes?" Louis asked with a raised brow. 

 

"I'm just wondering how a pretty little thing like you just conned me so easily," Liam Payne replied with a bemused smirk. 

 

"I don't know what you're talking about," Louis said haughtily, turning to walk away, trying to ignore the nerves that burst to life inside his chest. 

 

He was stopped by a hand firmly clasping his wrist and tugging until Louis span back around. Liam Payne didn't release his hold even as Louis stumbled so close there was a bare centimetre between their chests. 

 

"I think you do, princess," Liam Payne murmured. 

 

"Is that so?" Louis asked, forcing his face to remain neutral, his voice bored. But his heart thundered in his chest and he was breathing a little too fast. How the hell did this guy manage to affect his this much? It wasn’t exactly like Louis is a virgin. He’s used to cocky guys with pretty smiles thinking they can flirt their way into his pants, but there’s something about Liam Payne that seems to get right under his skin.

 

"See, I knew who your friend was. I know how bad he probably wanted to meet my friend Francis. What I don't know is how you thought you'd be able to walk away from me after batting your pretty eyelashes and trying to play with me," Liam Payne murmured, his eyes full of heat. And Louis couldn't help it, he swayed closer until their bodies touched, his lashes lowering a little as need sparked to life in his abdomen. 

 

"You think I'm pretty, Mr Liam Payne?" Louis asked playfully and Liam Payne huffed a laugh. 

 

"Liam. Just Liam," he replied and Louis smiled a slow, pleased smile. 

 

"Okay, Liam, just Liam, I think it's time you let me turn around and you can watch my ass as I walk away, okay?" Louis replied bluntly, trying to ignore the swirl of lust and nerves that span in his stomach. Liam's other hand came up to curl around the curve of Louis' hip, his touch burning hot even through Louis' black jeans. 

 

"And what if I don't want to watch you walk away just yet?" Liam replied. 

 

"Well, that just not really up to you, now, is it?" Louis grinned before stepping back and pulling out of Liam's hold easily enough. The man was forceful and intense but there was an edge of something gentle about him too. Louis had known his grip wouldn't tighten if Louis had actually wanted to leave and he was pleased to be proven correct in his brief judgement of Liam's character. Trouble, Liam Payne may be, but not an asshole at least. 

 

"Good night, Liam," Louis said with a falsely smug smile before spinning on his heel and making his way to the front doors. He didn't hear if Liam replied or not and he liked that since it made him feel badass to have the last word. He was self-aware enough to realise his own love for dramatic effect. 

 

He waited outside with another glass of champagne held in a trembling hand and soon enough Zayn wandered out looking for him. Louis caught his eye and Zayn rushed over with a wide grin and excitement flashing in his hazel eyes. 

 

"He says he wants me to send him my portfolio. I could be in Vogue, Louis. Vogue!" Zayn laughed, his hands gripping Louis' arms. Louis pulled him into a hug before turning and tugging Zayn in the direction of a local taxi stand. 

 

"Come on, mr hot shot model, I need to get home some time before the sun comes up or I won't be able to study tomorrow," Louis replied with a laugh as Zayn went on and on about how Francis had spoken about working at Vogue and how he thought Zayn's shoot with Calvin Klein showed a lot of promise. 

 

He tried to be an attentive best friend, but he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to a pair of deep brown eyes and a deep voice with a southern lilt. He knew he'd most likely never end up meeting Liam again, but he couldn't help but think of him. 

 

***

 

One week later and Louis rolled out of bed with a groan. He glanced at the alarm clock and his stomach dropped; 10:37am. He starts work at 11am and it takes at least 20 minutes to get to work. Shit. 

 

He hopped up and took the fastest shower of his life, scrubbing a towel through his hair whilst simultaneously brushing his teeth. He shoved on the first clean pair of jeans he could find, shrugged on a lilac jumper he thought might actually be Harry’s, and grabbed his backpack before racing out of the flat. He caught the free city bus to save a little time and managed to run through the front doors of the coffee shop at 10:59am. Zayn shook his head at him with a laugh when he dashed into the staff room and dumped his backpack in one of the lockers. 

 

"Shut up. I've had no caffeine yet. Don't mess with me," Louis gasped before swiping his clock in card and turning to the kettle with a sigh of relief. Zayn headed out front with a smug smile and Louis poured his coffee before following him. He sipped his coffee as he stood behind the till and used the other hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes. 

 

"How are you always late?" Zayn asked as he turned to make the drinks for a waiting table. 

 

"It's a skill," Louis muttered haughtily as he took a huge gulp of his coffee. His cool was ruined though when he yelped and stuck out his burnt tongue with a pout. 

 

"You're lucky Richard likes you or you'd have been fired months ago," Zayn pointed out before placing a few drinks on a tray. He picked up the tray with an easy grace that Louis didn't possess- which is why he'd been banned from attempting to carry trays after the thousandth time he accidentally poured the drinks all over some unlucky customer- and took it over to the three women sat near the back. 

 

"It's my pretty face and winning personality, they save me every time," Louis grinned as Zayn came back over with the empty tray. 

 

"It's the fact he can't be bothered to listen to you whine," Zayn corrected him with a snort.

 

"Don't be jealous, Zayn, it makes you ugly," Louis sniffed. 

 

He turned with a grin when he heard the front door swing open and quickly took the order of two young girls who clearly went to Louis' uni too, a guess that was proven correct when the blond one grinned at him and spoke. 

 

"Don't you go to Manchester uni?" She asked with interest shining in her clear blue eyes. 

 

"Yeah, I thought I'd recognised you," Louis said with a friendly smile. 

 

"I've seen you around. I think we're in the same module on Thursdays," she chirped and she was kind of adorable with her bubblegum pink lipstick and her pretty white dress but the poor lass was seriously barking up the wrong tree if Louis was reading the signs right. 

 

"Yeah, I think we both have Naz for the seminar," Louis replied, trying to keep his friendly smile in place. Damn. He hated when girls hit on him. How they never figured out he was gay he'd never understand. He may as well have a neon sign above him announcing it. Subtlety has never been a skill of his. His mum always swore up and down that she's known ever since he was a kid. His coming out had been rather anticlimactic. 

 

"We should go for something to eat sometime," she said with a pretty smile and damn Louis felt awkward. 

 

Thank fuck for best friends because Zayn swooped in with his prettiest smile just at that moment. 

 

"Aww! That'd be so cute! We could double date. How long have you two been together?" Zayn asked guileless, pointing at the two girls. Both girls looked confused for a moment before realisation filtered in and they looked almost horrified. 

 

"We're not together!" The blonde protested and the red head beside her nodded her head in agreement. 

 

"Oh!" Zayn said, a false look of apology on his face. "I'm sorry! I thought when you said you wanted to go for a drink you meant as couples. I'm Louis' boyfriend," Zayn explained, curling an arm around Louis' waist and tugging him closer. 

 

The blonde's cheeks flushed a bright, embarrassed crimson and she stuttered out some confusing reply before grabbing her drink and pulling her friend right out the front door. 

 

Louis lasted about three seconds before he had to grip onto the counter for stability, laughing harder than he had in months. 

 

"Oh my god. Did you see her face? I thought she was going to faint," Louis gasped. 

 

"Well it's not like it'd have been kinder for you to go on her little date. Pretty sure she'd be more embarrassed if she found out you liked dick after the good night kiss," Zayn said with his typical apathetic shrug. Louis just shook his head and tried to curb his laughter before Richard came out to shout at them for fucking about whilst working. 

 

The bell above the door chimed again and Louis turned with a smile and laughter still shining in his eyes, but that smile was cut short and the laughter dimmed when he saw who was at the door. He didn't even think, he just dropped to the floor behind the counter. 

 

Zayn shuffled over and muttered; "uh, Louis? Why the fuck is Liam Payne in here?" 

 

"I don't fucking know!" Louis hissed, ignoring the hint of hysteria in his own voice, "Make him leave!"

 

"I can't just make him leave you idiot," Zayn hissed back before his spine straightened and Louis saw a wide, awkward smile stretch over his lips. Louis curled up tighter and hoped this would be over as quick as possible. 

 

"Hi!" Zayn chirped awkwardly and Louis cringed and reached over to pinch Zayn's ankle which led to Zayn kicking him hard in the hip. 

 

"Hi, you're Zayn right? The one I met at the party?" Liam asked, his voice just as sexy as before and damn this man for pushing every one of Louis' hot buttons. 

 

"Yeah, we met briefly. Would you like something to drink?" Zayn deflected with that stiff smile. 

 

"I'd love a Latte. Large, please," Liam said and Louis could hear his smile. Part of him wanted to pop up just so he could look at Liam for a little while when he hadn't thought he'd ever see the man in person again. Another part of him never wanted to see the older man again. He was so very clearly out of Louis' league that it wasn't worth getting attached. And if Liam did decide to give him the time of day then Louis doubted it'd be for anything more than a one night fuck, and Louis had promised himself no more of those. 

 

Zayn went to step away and make the drink when Liam's voice stopped him and Louis' heart froze; "Oh, and Zayn? Could you maybe let Louis know that I saw him hide behind the counter?" 

 

There was an awkward silence before Louis got up the nerve to unfold and stand up from his hiding spot behind the tills. He knew his cheeks were burning red and Liam's smug smirk wasn't helping matters. 

 

"Hello, princess," Liam grinned and Louis' breathing hitched as butterflies attacked his stomach. 

 

"Hi," Louis murmured, for once in his life feeling lost for words. Could you blame him for feeling a little off centre? He'd done some research on Liam since their last encounter and he now knew that there was a fucking millionaire stood in his place of work ordering a latte and flirting with him. 

 

Zayn awkwardly shuffled away to start making Liam's latte and Louis wanted to pinch him again. 

 

"So . . ." Louis said awkwardly and Liam's smirk grew wider. 

 

"You know, I didn't imagine you'd work in a cafe," Liam said casually, placing his hands on the counter and leaning forwards, seemingly unaware of personal space, not that Louis was actually complaining. 

 

"Why not?" Louis asked before he could stop himself, automatically a little on the defensive. 

 

"Too much customer service involved," Liam began and Louis cut him off.

 

"Excuse you, are you saying I'm not good with people?" Louis demanded, his earlier nerves lost under a haze of annoyance. Liam laughed. 

 

"It's not that. I don't know. Maybe I just see you more as the type to not have to work at all," Liam said with a sly smile that Louis didn't trust one bit. 

 

"Well, Liam Payne, unless some rich, old, sugardaddy is going to come along and let me live it up for free then I'm gonna just have to keep on working, aren't I?" Louis replied sarcastically and Liam laughed. 

 

"Who said your sugardaddy would have to be old?" Liam asked and Louis' heart jumped at what Liam was playfully implying. It was clearly a joke and yet . . . There was something in Liam's eyes that seemed a little too genuine. 

 

"You're ridiculous. Either way, I think I'm pretty much resigned to what job I have, thank you," Louis replied quickly before the conversation could get any more out of hand. 

 

"If you say so, princess," Liam said with that same sly smirk before taking his latte from Zayn and leaving the shop with a quick wink for Louis and a friendly nod for Zayn. 

 

They stood there in silence before Zayn turned to him and very bluntly said; "he wants to fuck you so bad."

 

Louis pretty much gave up any idea of having a peaceful day after that. 

 

***

 

It seemed to become a kind of routine, Liam would come in during Louis' shifts (how he found out when Louis was actually on shift, he didn't wanna know) and buy a latte and flirt ridiculously in an effort to get Louis to divulge information about himself. And because Louis has always prided himself on being the most difficult person in the room, he refused to give away anything. 

 

He'd never admit out loud though that the main reason he wouldn't tell Liam about himself was because he could already feel himself falling for the ridiculously gorgeous man and wasn't that just beyond fucking stupid? He was growing a big fat crush on one of the most eligible men in the country. He barely knew him but . . . There was something so magnetic about the way Liam treated him. Even in their brief encounters with a till between them, Liam made Louis feel like he was the most beautiful person he'd ever met. He'd speak to Louis like he was genuinely excited to hear what Louis had to say. He looked at him like he wanted to bend him over the counter and damn . . . Wasn't that a fantastic thought? 

 

When Liam came in that day though, Louis' words got stuck in his throat and his eyes locked on what Liam had in his hands. Daisies. A pretty bouquet of daisies wrapped up in pale blue paper with pink ribbon. Louis stayed silent and Liam came up to him at the counter, and when Liam held out the flowers with a small smile, seeming almost a little nervous at this new gesture, Louis took the flowers with shaking hands. He brought them up to his face and took a deep breath, almost sighing at the freshness of them, before lowering them and hugging them to his chest.

 

"They're beautiful," Louis murmured, unable to raise his voice, something tight and vulnerable in his chest. 

 

No one had ever bought him flowers before. 

 

Maybe it was a guy thing. But none of the guys he'd ever been with had ever bought him flowers. Such a small gesture but . . . It melted his damn heart. 

 

"Just like you then," Liam replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes that made Louis laugh. 

 

"Smooth," Louis mocked, pushing that weird tightness in his chest to the back of his mind. 

 

"My mother always taught me that you never kiss someone who you aren't willing to buy flowers for first," Liam said with a playful smile. 

 

"And who said I'll be kissing you?" Louis replied just as playfully, still hugging the flowers to his chest, unwilling and unable to let go of them just yet. 

 

"Me," Liam replied, eyes filled with so much heat that Louis felt flushed by it. 

 

"Hmm . . . We'll see about that," Louis replied with mock disinterest before turning away to begin making Liam's regular order. But as he placed the flowers on the counter top reluctantly he found himself reaching for the pen they usually used to write names on cups when it got a little busier. He hesitated a moment before quickly scrawling "I have five younger sisters and one little brother" in his messy handwriting along the side of the cup. He made the drink as usual and handed it to Liam without a word. Liam began to turn away before his eyes caught on the words at the side of his cup. He seemed to quickly read them and his head snapped up as he gave Louis a wide grin and a cheeky wink before leaving the cafe.

 

Louis slumped against the counter and wondered what he was getting himself into. 

 

The routine of Liam coming to the cafe continued, as did Louis' new willingness to share little details about himself on the side of Liam's paper coffee cup. They ranged from the inane; my favourite colour is light blue, to the serious; sometimes I think that my life will never work out because there's no career path that has ever interested me. 

 

Liam has never said a word about the little notes. 

 

He'd take these little insights into Louis' mind and life with a smile and a wink and he'd be back the next day with a wide grin and more interest than Louis would have ever thought he'd get from someone like Liam Payne. Something inside him felt . . . unexpectedly whole, at this continued interest. 

 

Zayn would smirk at them flirting over the counter, and when Harry- Zayn's ridiculously ditsy mess of a boyfriend- was around he'd 'aww' and make heart eyes at them and generally be a soppy pain in the arse. Liam would laugh at Zayn's sarcastic comments and play along with Harry's romanticism and it all felt rather strange and too good to be true. 

 

The strangest part was that every now and then paparazzi would show up outside the cafe. They'd take photos of him entering and leaving but they never paid Louis any attention as though they thought Liam had simply developed an odd obsession with their shitty little cafe. 

 

Zayn tried asking about what was really going on between the two of them but Louis would simply shrug and change the subject. It felt a little too . . . Intimate, to share. This strange connection he and Liam had was small and fragile and built on unsaid thoughts scrawled on paper coffee cups. How could he ever even attempt to voice what was going on? 

 

Also, he'd be damned if he added fuel to Harry's horrendous rom-com imagination by telling him about the coffee cups. 

 

All he knew for certain was that his resistance was beginning to crumble and that scared him more than anything. 

 

***

 

So Louis’ day was officially fucking shit. He’d woken up to a phone that wouldn’t turn on no matter what he did to it and there was definitely no way he could afford to get a new one any time soon. His mum was already struggling enough with all of his siblings to be able to lend him a few hundred quid for a new iPhone. All of these facts made for one very frustrated Louis when he turned up for his shift that morning.

“University life really does promote the benefits of becoming a stripper,” Louis exclaimed loudly as he walked through the front doors. The one customer in the café smirked a little behind her book but ignored his dramatics easily enough due to the fact that she was a regular and largely used to Louis and his inability to control what came out of his mouth. Zayn sighed tiredly from behind his place at the counter.

“What happened?” he asked, face already resigned as if it was hard work to deal with Louis which . . . Louis couldn’t exactly blame his best friend for that.

“My phone packed in, the piece of shit,” Louis complained as he shuffled past to throw his bag in the back room.

“I told you to take it for repairs months ago,” Zayn pointed out with a bored expression and Louis flipped him off casually before pulling on one of the black aprons that constituted as their uniform.

“Well it’s fucked and now I’m gonna have to use the computers in the fucking library to check my fucking facebook,” Louis whined, thumping his head down onto the counter.

Louis thought about it for a moment before turning to Zayn again, “strippers make good money yeah?” he asked, both of them ignoring the bell above the door signaling a new customer.

"You're not becoming a stripper Louis, we've had this talk."

“But my laptop died last month . . . I've had to use the library computers since. Add onto that that now my phone is dead and I’m gonna be spending my entire life in that fucking awful library."

“I don’t see why you have such a problem with the library,” Zayn huffed as he slid a cup of coffee in front of Louis.

“I would rather sell my amazing body than put up with that bitch who works in there,” Louis sniffed before taking a grateful sip of his coffee.

“She's not that bad, Lou.”

“She took my bacon sandwich off me!” Louis exclaimed indignantly. He’s a British lad through and through, you don’t fuck with a man’s bacon butty.

“You shouldn't be eating in the library anyway,” Zayn pointed out like the traitor he is.

“I was hungry!”

“Then eat before you bloody go in! The woman was just doing her job,” Zayn muttered, using a damp cloth to clean up some spilled milk.

“Whose side are you on, Zayn?!” Louis demanded.

“Oh, for fuck sake,” Zayn sighed just as their new customer gave up on being patient and cleared their throat pointedly.

Louis Looked up and was confronted with a very smartly dress Liam Payne wearing an amused expression that let Louis know he’d clearly heard most of their conversation.

“What.” Louis said bluntly, glaring a little as he felt his cheeks flush.

“Nothing,” Liam replied innocently.

Louis didn’t trust him one bit.


	2. One Step Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there?
> 
> Okay so I've finally handed in my dissertation which means I've completed all the modules for my Masters Degree. This means I can actually find time to write now, hooray! 
> 
> Sorry about the ridiculously long wait by the way. This is only short because I'm super tired but I hope you like where this fic is heading!

Louis was glad he hadn’t trusted Liam’s all too innocent brown eyes the other day in the café, because it meant that when a delivery man dropped off a mystery parcel, somehow Louis wasn’t all that surprised when he found he’d been sent a brand-new Apple laptop, along with the newest edition iPhone in a pretty rose gold that Louis wanted to never look away from ever again. The little envelope containing a card saying only;

 

‘Princess, I had to do something to halt your prospective career as a stripper. L x.’

 

Louis threw it in the bin with a frustrated little shriek.

 

***

Of course the phone has Liam’s number programmed into it because the man was nothing if not intelligent and single-minded. You don’t get to be as rich as he is without a little determination.

Louis sends off a quick text before he can second guess himself.

  * How the fuck did you get my address?



He goes and showers because waiting for a reply is going to drive him crazy.

When he comes back to his room Zayn is sat on the bed playing with his new tech.

“So, clearly he wants to fuck you bad enough that he’s willing to bribe you,” Zayn comments, eyes sparkling with amusement.

“Very fucking funny,” Louis snarks, walking over and snatching back his pretty new phone.

 

***

 

One of the things Louis had refused to tell Liam about was university. He didn't confirm he went to Manchester Uni, although it was pretty obvious due to where he worked, and he refused to say what class he was in. He knew that somehow Liam would use that information to work out where Louis would be on campus and the cocky bastard would probably show up at his lecture with a bundle of flowers and a stupid smirk. Louis didn't need the drama. He also didn't need the paparazzi following Liam and suddenly finding Louis interesting.

 

However, he somehow wasn't all that surprised when he walked off campus with Harry and Zayn and found Liam at the side of the road leaning casually against a glossy, black SUV monstrosity that looked far too expensive. And fuck, Liam looked good leaning back against it in black skinny jeans, a tight black tshirt, and a black baseball cap. It was so much hotter simply for the fact that Louis rarely saw him in anything but a full suit. Every time he came into the café he looked like he’d just left a business meeting. It felt almost intimate to see Liam in his casual clothes. The sunglasses perched low on his nose seriously didn’t help the way Louis’ abdomen tightened in want.

 

Louis heard more than one student gasp out some variation of, “Is that Liam Payne?!”

 

Liam suddenly caught sight of Louis walking towards him and a grin stretched across his full lips. Louis turned on Harry and Zayn so fast that they almost crashed into him. 

 

"Which one of you blabbed?!" Louis demanded, glaring at them both. Zayn let go of Harry's hand in order to raise both his hands in the universal sign of 'I'm innocent', hands up and palms out. Louis quickly directed his glare at Harry and it didn't take long before he broke. 

 

"Okay! It was me! I'm sorry, okay? He's just so sweet and he likes you so much and I DIDN'T WANT TO STAND IN THE WAY OF TRUE LOVE," Harry wailed dramatically. Louis sighed and shook his head before turning to Zayn. 

 

"Why the fuck are you still with this weirdo? It's been five years, I've suffered long enough," Louis asked and ignored Harry's insulted face. 

 

"His big dick," Zayn said with a shrug and an uninterested expression that had Harry whining out an offended; "Heyyyy."

 

"I'm done with both of you. You're fucking idiots," Louis declared before turning and walking over to Liam, ignoring the crowd that had begun to gather as people took too obvious photos of Liam and his shiny car. It wouldn't be long before the paps turned up as those photos ended up on Twitter. 

 

"Hey, princess," Liam murmured with that sly grin when Louis stopped right in front of him. 

 

"What are you doing here?" Louis demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and refusing to admit to himself how hot he found Liam right now. 

 

"Can't I come say hello?" Liam asked, that masculine smirk still in place. And fuck, it was so hard to act like he didn't want to be around him. 

 

“You mean can you show up uninvited outside my class- a class I didn’t tell you about, at a university I have never spoken to you about?” Louis asked with an arched brow.

 

“Lou? We’re gonna head home,” Harry said awkwardly from behind him somewhere. Louis didn’t look away from Liam’s face as he snapped his reply.

 

“Don’t you fucking dare leave me alone with him.”

 

Liam grinned, “What? You scared of me, baby?”

 

"You do realise that most people just ask a person on a date, right? Like, they don’t just stalk them and show up looking all smug," Louis replied sarcastically. 

 

Liam rolled his eyes playfully, slipping off his sunglasses and hooking them casually in the neck of his tshirt, and replied: "and yet I know you well enough to know a boring dinner wouldn't entertain you all that much. You'd cringe at the small talk and I'd kiss you on the cheek good night and it'd all be very sweet," Liam began, and Louis narrowed his eyes, waiting for Liam's point. 

 

"And you wouldn’t reply to my text the next day. But I know what you really want from me," Liam continued calmly. 

 

"And what is that, Mr Liam-Know-It-All-Payne?" Louis snapped. He could feel his cheeks flushing and wanted to scream in frustration. Because he couldn’t let himself have this. Liam was everything Louis was tempted to play with, but he knew he wouldn’t find a happily ever after with a man like him.

 

Liam grinned before leaning down, the only connection between their bodies the startling brush of Liam's full lips against his ear. It sent shivers across his skin and made him gasp and Louis had no idea how he was supposed to resist this man.

 

"You don't want me to sit across the table from you and ask you polite questions. You don't want me to kiss you on the cheek good night and walk away to leave you alone in your bed. You want me to make you breathless. You want the thrill of it. You want to be in my bed and nothing else would satisfy you. Do you think I can't see how hungry you are, princess? How much you want to be fucked?" Liam asked bluntly, his voice quiet so that no one but Louis could hear. And damn if Louis wasn't hyperventilating. Every one of Liam's calmly delivered words hit him in the abdomen and increased the tightly curling knot of need that whirled there. 

 

"You're awfully sure of yourself," Louis replied softly, his voice husky with want. Liam laughed and Louis shivered as Liam's breath brushed along his throat. 

 

"No, princess. I'm just sure of what you want. I know what you want and I know exactly how to give it to you. Now, get in the car," Liam said firmly, his voice still quiet but ringing with authority that had goosebumps springing up over Louis' skin. 

 

"What if I don't?" Louis replied because he was an antagonistic bastard at heart. His fatal flaw had always been the need to push and push at people to see how much it took for them to snap. 

 

"Then I'll put you in the car myself . . . And when I get you alone your gorgeous little arse will end up so red you won't be able to sit down properly for a week," Liam murmured and Louis helplessly shivered. 

 

He didn't know why Liam had suddenly decided to let down any pretense of patience with their flirting game, but for some reason he preferred this bluntly sexual version to the calmer one that had given him flowers as a way to earn a kiss. But if he was really honest what he loved the most was that the both sides lived within this one delectable man. Somehow, he didn’t think he’d get bored any time soon.

 

 

***

 

 

Louis hadn't really known what to expect when he got into Liam's car. For all of his sexual teasing Liam didn't act like he expected anything of Louis, he didn't drive them to a hotel or push at Louis at all. Instead Liam drove them to a part of the city that Louis had never been to, one large hand warm on Louis’ thigh. This section of the city made Louis’ regular haunts look like a dump, the area directly ahead of the car filled with tall glass flats that shone like brilliant diamonds in the darkening sky. 

 

"Why are we here?" Louis asked curiously into the comfortable silence of the car. 

 

Liam pointed to the very top of one of the buildings, "that is my flat. I'm going to give a very tragic attempt at making you dinner."

 

Louis bit down on his lower lip to halt his smile at Liam's self-deprecating words. 

 

“I dunno about that. I don’t think my boss will appreciate it if I have to miss work because you gave me food poisoning,” Louis replied with a small smile and couldn’t help but laugh when Liam shot him a playful frown.

 

“Come on, princess, I’ve waited long enough to get you alone,” Liam said with a smile as he parked in some kind of underground carpark and slid from his seat. He made his way around the car and opened Louis’ door for him. As Louis stepped down from the car he couldn’t help but shiver as Liam placed a large hand on his lower back to lead him towards the lift.

 

***

 

Liam actually made him dinner. Louis was . . . a little disappointed if he’s honest. He was kinda expecting Liam to jump him the second they were alone. Instead Liam poured him a glass of wine and sat him at the counter whilst he prepared what looked to be some sort of pasta dish.

 

Liam’s flat was exactly how Louis would have imagined it; filled to the brim with expensive and beautiful things. It was clean and shiny and Louis was honestly afraid of smudging fingerprints into any of the surfaces. Liam had given him a little tour when they’d first arrived but he hadn’t lingered long enough for Louis to assuage his curiosity.

 

Louis sipped his wine and watched as Liam cooked, smiling a little when he heard him sing softly along to the music playing from some speakers built into the ceiling.

 

“You know, you didn’t have to practically kidnap me for a date,” Louis said playfully, eyeing Liam’s firm arse in those skinny jeans shamelessly since the older man was busy chopping garlic.

 

“You have to admit that I make an entrance,” Liam said with a low chuckle that had Louis’ stomach clenching in want.

 

The food was surprisingly good, Louis ate it all and grinned when Liam looked smug inn response. It was . . . easy. There was never a moment where Louis worried about saying the wrong thing or acting strange. Liam made him feel like he could be completely himself. It was a feeling louis had never before experienced on a date and he was having trouble with accepting it.

 

At one point Louis pulled out his pretty new iPhone and waved it in Liam’s stupidly attractive face.

 

“This? This is not acceptable behaviour. You don’t just go buy people phones and laptops,” Louis mocked.

 

“As much as I’m curious about you in the uniform involved, I don’t actually want you looking for a job as a stripper. I figured it was in my best interest to take away the temptation,” Liam laughed.

 

They were sipping their wine at the kitchen counter and sharing a bowl of chopped strawberries when Louis finally got up the courage to ask what had been playing on his mind all night.

 

“So . . . what exactly are you hoping to get out of all this,” Louis murmured, gesturing loosely between their two bodies angled towards one another. Liam smiled and caught his hand, lifting it and pressing a kiss to Louis’ knuckles before releasing it.

 

“Everything,” Liam said, as if it was the simplest of requests, as Louis’ breath hadn’t just gotten caught in his throat.

 

“Don’t . . . Don’t play with me. Look, I’m not stupid, okay?” Louis started, and ignored Liam as he furrowed his brow and opened his mouth as if to interrupt, “Just listen, okay? I’m not an idiot and I know how shit like this normally works. But I’m not like that. I’ve done my share of one-night stands and I’m done with it. I’m not interested in being someone’s fuck buddy,” Louis said firmly.

 

“I’m not in this for a fuck, Louis,” Liam said softly and Louis’ mouth felt dry all of a sudden. He took a fortifying sip of his wine before continuing.

 

“You and me are from different worlds. Different fucking planets. You can’t honestly expect me to believe you want a real relationship from me.”

 

Liam searched his eyes for a moment before smiling softly at him.

 

“I guess I’ll just have to prove you wrong.”

 

***

 

It was maybe a week after their date and Liam hadn’t been by the café or even texted Louis’ pretty phone. To be fair, Louis didn’t text him either. Uni was kicking his arse. Hr had three different assignments all due around the same time and he’d stupidly agreed to a bunch of overtime at work too which meant Louis was getting maybe four hours of sleep a night in order to fit it all in.

 

When he finished serving an older lady only to find himself faced with a frowning Liam he didn’t know how to feel. Especially when Liam didn’t even look up from his phone screen before snapping out:

 

“Latte. Extra shot.”

 

“Are you joking? Make your damn coffee your damn self, you twat!” Louis snapped without even thinking about it.

 

Liam looked up sharply at that, brow furrowed as if he couldn’t understand why he was being shouted at.

 

“I have had a far too shitty week to deal with your bullshit right now!” Louis snapped, poking his pointer finger into Liam’s chest.

 

Liam moved to grab Louis’ wrist before he could pull his hand back and Louis gasped a little when Liam used the hold to tug Louis closer despite the counter between them.

 

“Watch yourself, baby,” Liam murmured warningly and Louis’ cheeks flushed a deep red.

 

“Then don’t be a dick,” Louis huffed under his breath, feeling a little too flustered at the way Liam’s deep brown eyes seemed to swallow him whole.

 

Liam smirked before leaning in to press a quick kiss to Louis’ warm cheek. He turned and left the shop again before Louis could even finish his sentence: “But what about your coffee?!”

 

Louis honestly had no idea how to predict this man.

 

***

 

Louis was sat on his bed that night studying when his phone rang beside him. He glanced over and tapped the little green button to accept the facetime without glancing at the name, figuring it was just Zayn in the other room asking him if he wanted to order Chinese food.

 

He lifted the phone to face him but carried on typing on his laptop with the other hand.

 

“You know, we’re probably gonna have to learn to cook one day. I don’t think the vegetables count as healthy when they’re in a chow mein,” Louis muttered around the pen in his mouth. He dropped the pen fast when he heard the responding masculine chuckle from his phone.

 

“Liam?!” Louis yelped, turning to face his screen. Louis had the sudden suspicion that Liam just took a screenshot of him in that moment.

 

“Hey princess,” Liam smirked and Louis was all of a sudden hyper aware of the fact he was wearing nothing but tiny black boxers and a pink jumper that said ‘babygirl’ across the front in bold white italics.

 

“Shit. Liam why are you ringing me?” Louis snapped with a frown.

 

“I wanted to apologise,” Liam said openly and Louis paused in the rant he was about to deliver.

 

“Really?” Louis replied with open suspicion.

 

“I didn’t mean to be rude at the café earlier. I had some tosser trying to ruin a merger I’d been setting up for the past six months and I was in a foul mood. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” Liam explained softly. Honestly Louis was a little speechless. Maybe it was just a reflection of the guys he’d been with in the past but he’s never had someone openly admit to being a dick and then apologise so fast before.

 

“Uh, it’s okay, I guess,” Louis replied carefully, feeling a little vulnerable all of a sudden. Liam smiled at him gratefully and Louis couldn’t help his smile in response.

 

“You look really pretty, baby,” Liam murmured and Louis once more had the feeling that he’d taken a screenshot.

 

“Did you just screenshot me?” Louis demanded playfully.

 

“So what if I did?” Liam replied with a sly grin.

 

“Liam. Delete it. I look bloody awful!” Louis pouted. And once a-bloody-gain he knew Liam screenshotted him, “Liam! Stop it! I look a right fucking mess!”

 

"I don't know what you're talking about, baby."

 

"Don’t baby me! Delete it now!"

 

"But...."

 

“LIAM WHATEVER-YOUR-MIDDLE-NAME-IS PAYNE”

 

"James," Liam replied with an amused grin.

 

“Liam James Payne, delete that photo right now . . . did you just take another one?!”

 

"Baby . . . Wear that jumper when I see you next."

 

“No.”

 

Louis maybe possibly accidentally wore the ‘babygirl’ jumper to his next shift at the café and firmly ignored Liam’s smug expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for reading!  
> Please comment with any thoughts you have, I'm always open to ideas.  
> As always you can find me over on Tumblr at thedeliciousrude if you'd like to shout at me to update.

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, just the starting chapter but what do you guys think?
> 
> hit me up on tumblr at thedeliciousrude if you want to chat :) xx  
> \--------------------------------------------------------------  
> ..... again Carlee (Miniiredd) here, seriously i hope you guys enjoy this, i love this fic so much  
> its crazy to think something think that something that started from a photo of shoes and a pair panties, turned into a long ass note folder, and then turned in to this. And the fact phillipa tagged me as a "co-creator' when this is legit all her really means a lot to me, even if i gave her shit for it xx
> 
> seriously she deserves all the praise for this


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